Tether Brews New Packaging For Celestial Seasonings

Celestial Seasonings, a leader in the specialty tea category has embarked on a brand reinvention this fall. The design firm is Tether of Seattle WA and Portland OR, who describe the solution as “the perfect blend of nostalgia, modern aesthetic and clarity without sacrificing fun. We even returned the Sleepytime bear to something close to his original lovable look.”

A cleaner, more modern design retains the signature artwork and quotes, while placing increased emphasis on the tea’s premium ingredients. Fanciful art is modified to be more realistic yet imaginative, indicative of the worldly nature of the ingredients and their ability to invigorate the senses with extraordinary tastes and aromas. Because Celestial Seasonings has always worked closely with farmers to ensure sustainable harvests and fair trade wages, a special “Ethical Trade” logo now appears on the packaging to communicate this important principle to consumers.

For this first comprehensive package redesign in 40 years, Tether created unique art for each flavor of tea, a significant undertaking that required the evaluation of more than 90 individually designed pieces of art. The new design also features consistent positioning of the flavor name and logo, along with a uniform design structure that enables easier product identification. Artwork focusing on flavor elements to increase appetite appeal and a distinctive color band helps consumers identify their favorite flavors and varieties, such as herbal, green, black, white, red and chai. With regard to sustainability, the packaging continues to use minimal material, including omitting strings and tags (which, notes Tether, saves more than 1,650 tons of waste from entering landfills each year.) In addition, the boxes are made of biodegradable, 100 percent recyclable carton.

Among the changes made to some of Celestial Seasonings most recognizable box art:

Though raspberries remain the focus on Raspberry Zinger® Herbal Tea, they no longer hover above soaring tea cups; instead, plump, glistening berries spring from the ocean horizon over a blooming hibiscus patch. Honey Lemon Ginseng Green Tea has traded a warrior for freshly cut lemons and thick, lustrous honey coasting down a gentle river that flows from a mountainous Asian landscape. And Chamomile Herbal Tea features the familiar countryside scene and its charming cottage, but flavorful chamomile flowers now sprout from the edges of the box, replacing the lady in pink.